Exploring the Lower 48 in the MX-5 Miata
Celebrating 30 Years of the MX-5 Miata begins with celebrating our fans and their stories. We asked owners and enthusiasts from around the country to submit their MX-5 stories to celebrate the debut of the 30th Anniversary MX-5 Miata at the Chicago Auto Show.
From the moment they laid eyes on a 1989 Mariner Blue Mazda Miata, Cyndee Boyvey and Al Brown became hooked.
“We saw that first one and went, ‘O-M-G. What the heck is that?,” Cyndee recalled. “We sniffed around at it, and thought, ‘Oh, man, that is a really cool car!’”
At the time, however, they were in the midst of raising children, making the two-seater not the most practical choice for their lifestyle. Six years later, with one kid out of the house, the MX-5 still had not left their minds. They headed to the dealership and purchased a 1995 MX-5, which they affectionately named “Wild Blu” with the license plate WLDBLU1.
“We're at the dealership, signing the papers,” Cyndee explained, “and Al turns to me and says, ‘I can't believe we've been so impulsive” to which I responded, ‘What do you mean impulsive? We've been looking at this car since 1989!’”
Twenty five years after their first MX-5 purchase, Al and Cyndee have since owned two other MX-5s: a 1992 yellow MX-5 named Yellow QT For Two, with a license plate that read Y-L-O-Q-T-4-2, and a red 2008 PRHT MX-5 named Roobee, with a license plate that read R-O-O-B-E-E. The couple says picking a favorite is impossible; each has their own memories, quirks and overall uniqueness.
Cyndee and Al were first introduced to other MX-5 Miata owners during their first excursion with Wild Blu. The couple drove to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of an event hosted by Cleveland’s local Miata club. MX-5 owners were granted access to the museum two weeks prior to the grand opening.
“It was a great event,” Al said. “We did a drive-in movie, we went out on a road course outside of Cleveland called Nelson Ledges, and met people from the Windy City Miata Club. It was our first experience with other cars.”
As soon as they got back to their home in the suburbs of Chicago, Al and Cyndee joined the Windy Cindy Miata Club. Alongside other club members, the couple enjoyed participating in numerous events, with the highlight being a road trip in 1999 along Route 66, down to Dallas, Texas.
Today, Cyndee and Al belong to the Villages Miata MX-5 Club in their new home state of Florida.
“I like the traveling and touring that an active, well-developed club tends to do,” Cyndee explained. “And, of course, you have the commonality of loving the car, and sharing information. The Village Miata Club is a vibrant one, and with around 125 cars in the club, it is one of the largest clubs in Florida.”
With the MX-5 clubs, Cyndee and Al have driven all over the country, exploring most of the lower 48 states and parts of Canada. Cyndee explained that their friends are quick to express their envy of their retired lifestyle. “Our friends always say, ‘Oh my God, you're having so much fun and we wish we were retired so that we could do those kinds of trips!”
